The Hollow Restaurant is one of the newer ones in Franklin and focuses on burgers, pasta, sandwiches and homestyle dishes.



So, there are a lot of standard items, like hot dogs, Italian hoagies, reubens, but then I saw one thing I've never seen before: "Pack Lunch Panini." This is jam, peanut butter, bacon, chips and banana on grilled panini bread. 

I ordered my meal to go in these COVID19 times and sat outside the local drive-in movie theater to dig in. Bonus points for creativity, but I wish I could've tasted all the components. I needed the jam to come through to get the sweet and salty, but it was mostly just salty. Still love the idea for something different, and I think just a bit more attention to the proportions could kick it up a notch. 

Grade: B

I'm always strategically planning when it comes to restaurants. Some are only open on weekdays. Some are only open on weekdays during lunch. That's the case with The Beak Cafe in Huntington, so I had to plan carefully to catch them when they were open.



The restaurant has a sort-of summery vibe with greenery, flamingos and bright pink accent decor. 



The menu is fairly small, featuring just salads, sandwiches. hot dogs and desserts regularly. They do also have daily specials that tend to sell out quickly. 



I ordered a turkey and cheese sandwich, with red onion, tomato and mayo to go. After a little bit of a wait, I was on my way with lunch in my bag. 



This sucker is piled high with turkey on white bread, so it reminded me of turkey sandwiches of my youth (maybe minus the onion). But creamy with the mayo, crunchy with the onions, the sort of unctuous fattiness of the cheese - all in a simple sandwich. It's a simple, standard combo that is common for a reason.



It's tasty, and it's a good, straightforward sandwich. Would I love some exciting toppings or even side dishes? Yes, but if a simple sandwich is what you're here for, you can't go wrong.



Grade: B

Fairmont is home to a number of Italian restaurants, but it's less common to see a Mediterranean restaurant right in the downtown area. 



The Grape Leaf is a new-to-me restaurant I was excited to check out with my friend Lisa. 



We were the only ones here, which was great for us. There was enough space for us to feel safe and still enjoy a delicious meal and support a local business.



After looking over the menu, I went with a strawberry banana smoothie to start. I'm really into smoothies lately, and this one was a good version. It's not large and a bit thin, but fresh flavor. 



Then, I tried the sambusas with cheese. These triangular fried filo dough savory pastries. I'm less familiar with this version, but I enjoyed them. I would've loved a sauce with a bit of spice to complement them.



At some point, we got an order of fries, but I was trying to save room for the remainder of the meal. They were thick-cut steak fries, though, and had a nice little crisp.



Hummus. What meal is complete without a side of hummus. This was a good, straightforward version. I like mine to taste like two bulbs of garlic, but that's not for everyone.



My main entree was the chicken shawarma, which was a bit heftier than others I've had. But the sauce with it was more of a savory, meaty sauce, rather than that smooth garlic sauce I crave. Good, but not my favorite. 



Finally, let's end with some baklava, of course. Simple with pistachios. Drizzle that syrup on it for some more decadence!

Grade: B

Let's check out another Tudor's Biscuit World. One of the last few on my list, thank goodness. This time, we're heading to West Hamlin.



This location is pretty standard. It's connected to a Gino's, has that barn-like exterior, and offers the iconic biscuits. But as you know, dear reader, I'm tired of biscuits. So, we're trying some of the lunch offerings. And, today, we went with a chicken sandwich. 



Color me impressed; this is a decent chicken sandwich! Soft bun, slice of lettuce, mayo, and some lettuce that could be a touch fresher - but all in all, not too shabby. The chicken had a little crisp coating, and the meat was white and tender. 

Grade: B

We have conquered the Tudor's biscuits together. But now, it's time to try some of the other menu offerings since there are still juuuust a couple locations left.



So, in Hamlin, we went with a cheeseburger. This is a pretty decent cheeseburger, for what it's worth. It had fresh lettuce, tomato and a thick patty. 



I'm a weirdo who tends to not love thick burgers. I like a nice equal-ish mix between all the components. But this did that. I got a little condiment tang, cheese and meat all in one bite. For a fast food burger, it ranks fairly high for being closer to "homemade."

Grade: B

Soul food is aptly named. It's food for the soul. It's comforting, nourishing and tells a story of home recipes.



"While not all Southern food is considered soul food, all soul food is definitely Southern.

Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African-Americans in the Southern United States. The expression "soul food" originated in the mid-1960s, when "soul" was a common word used to describe African-American culture. At its core, soul food is basic, down-home cooking that's been passed down through many generations, with its roots in the rural South.

The staples of soul food cooking are beans, greens, cornmeal (used in cornbread, hush puppies, johnnycakes, and as a coating for fried fish), and pork. Pork has been almost limitless in a number of uses in soul food, from seasoning vegetables and stews to dehydrating and pickling staples like pork rinds and pig feet and ears (DELISH)."



Wild Wild West Soulfood Express is a new soul food restaurant on the West Side that is carry-out only along Washington Street. I came across their Facebook page and called in an order: Homestyle Meatloaf dinner with sides of mac & cheese and candied yams. They also have options like fish, pork chops, chicken, black eyed peas, collard greens and more. 



There was a little bit of confusion on pick up and then paying, but after that was cleared up, I was able to take my meal home and dig in. The mac & cheese was by far the standout! Cheesy, thick and a bit sweet. Perfection. The yams were also delicious - makes me think of Thanksgiving dinner. The meatloaf was good, a touch on the dry side, but the flavor was there. Overall, not bad.

Grade: B

First of all, I'm not quite sure why 90% of my photos of the outside of restaurants are messed up. I think I take the photo so quickly, my phone doesn't have time to really capture the whole thing. I swear this is not user error.

Secondly, I love Asian food. All kinds, really. Sushi. Ramen. Americanized Chinese. AND, I have many more restaurants to explore in Beckley. So when Yummi Japan popped up on my radar, it was a no-brainer to go check it out. 



The Philly Roll - crabmeat and cream cheese - is everything my basic heart loves. Guilty pleasure - but very tasty. 



Then, I did a shrimp teriyaki, which was just OK. It was really salty for my taste, and not a ton of sauce/flavor outside of that.



Crab cheese rangoons - always a treat. Maybe this means I should just stick to my guilty pleasures since they're my favorite?

Grade: B

I know it seems like I've been working on this Tudor's tour forever, and that's because I have. Am I tired of Tudor's? Yes, yes I am. But we have to go on. And this day, we visited the Tudor's Biscuit World in Ravenswood, which has a cute modern country exterior with fresh flowers.



The menu is the same, and I've now tried all the biscuits - including each of the different types of ham. So, this one is a shaved ham and cheese. Classic combo. 



It's good, but at this point, I'm allowed to be a bit more picky. I don't want a ton of meat, but I also don't love when it's not full enough that the top biscuit eclipses the bottom biscuit and it's just a big bite of dry biscuit. Not bad; could be better.

Grade: B

There's not much getting out of the house these days, but I do try to build in something one a week that makes me happy. One this particular week, I made a little jaunt up to a Tudor's location that I hadn't been to yet - Sissonville.



Once I was was in the drive-thru, I already knew what I wanted to order. I have a list of biscuits that I'm making my way through. And, today, it was the Golden Eagle. I'm guessing that this is named in honor of the University of Charleston's mascot. This biscuit has Canadian bacon, egg, potato, and cheese.



So, it's a Mickey, add potato. However, on mine, if there was any potato - it was very, very minimal. But I do like this biscuit. I like Canadian bacon, so this one is a winner for me.

Grade: B

Roadrunners Grill is a small restaurant in Nitro that specializes in American food, like soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers.



Dawn and I went to check it out, after I had heard some good reviews of the food. The restaurant is attached to an antique store and has a similar feel itself - lots of old decor on the walls and a random collection of Nascar, religious symbols and tools.



The menu is pretty straightforward. Dawn went with a burger, fries and mozzarella sticks.



And I went with soup and a sandwich.



Sweet beefy cabbage soup is not a combination of words I typically see together, but it piqued my interest. And, it tasted like a cabbage roll in soup form - with just a hint of sweetness, which really just tapered down the acidic nature of the tomato.



The sub had ham, pepperoni, provolone, tomato, onion, lettuce and served with a side of what seemed to me to be a mix of ranch and Italian. Definitely interesting.

Grade: B

The owners of Bridge Road Bistro in Charleston have begun a new venture in Huntington: Sunset Grill. The restaurant sources a lot of its ingredients locally. And, they also serve as a live music venue.



Dawn and I made our way here to try it out, and it just so happened to be on Valentine's Day. Don't worry, we split the check.



We started with some bread, which looked pretty good. I think it would be even better warm.



For my main dish, I went with the Bay Scallops, with roasted garlic butter, lemon parsley and red onion, heirloom carrots and I subbed in creamy parmesan polenta (which sounded more exciting to me than almond rice pilaf).



These were little guys, but they were tasty. There was a nice crisp and bits of crunchy garlic so it had some nice texture variation to go with the soft scallops. The polenta was tasty too. All in all, a good meal.

Grade: B

The Pinch Sam's Hot Dog Stand is a bit elusive. It tends to only be open on weekdays during lunch hours.



But on this visit, I got lucky. I was able to snag a pepperoni roll - stuffed with pepperoni and thick dough! Pretty standard.



UPDATE 10/29/23: Finally was able to check it out - and they have a really solid hot dog - if not a little mushy.



Grade: B